Modular diplexer subsystem comprising an RF module and a diplexer module coupled to each other, where each module is removable and replaceable

ABSTRACT

A wireless transmission system comprising a main circuit board having a first controller and a first connector assembly associated therewith; a removable and replaceable radio frequency module for transmitting and receiving wireless data, wherein the radio frequency module includes a second controller, a first module connector assembly, and a second connector assembly that is configured to couple to the first connector assembly; a removable and replaceable diplexer module for sending and receiving the wireless data at different frequencies, wherein the diplexer module includes a storage element, a first waveguide port connector, and a second module connector assembly that is configured to couple to the first module connector assembly; and a transition waveguide module having a second waveguide port connector that is configured to couple to the first waveguide port connector.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to microwave transmission systems, andmore specifically is related to modular type microwave transmissionsystems.

Conventional microwave transmission systems can be used to carryinformation digitally over known microwave frequencies ranging forexample from 1 GHz to 150 GHz. The conventional microwave transmissionsystems typically include several major components, including forexample a mainboard section with a processor and a chassis having one ormore networking modems; a radio frequency (RF) section having one ormore converters (e.g., upconverters and/or downconverters), a low noiseamplifier, and a power amplifier; a diplexer or filtering structure; anda waveguide transition section to electrically match and/or carry the RFsignal from the diplexer or combiner waveguide to the antenna. In someconventional systems, two or more RF sections can be used and thewaveguide transition is replaced with a combiner, such as for example anortho-mode transducer (OMT) or co-polar coupler to combine the two radiosignals from the RF sections.

Due to worldwide regulatory requirements, there are many frequency bandsthat are available and that have different channel bandwidth, diplexerand spectral mask requirements, as well as multiple unique waveguideinterfaces which are mechanically different for each band of operation.Within each frequency band there are typically sub-bands which requiredifferent diplexers with different pass bands to make the systemtechnically feasible. For these reasons, in conventional systems, manydifferent types of hardware components are required to make a systemcompliant with the local regulatory requirements as well as technicallyfeasible for a specific frequency band. In the prior art, all thesecomponents are installed by the system manufacturer and are notchangeable by the end user, with the exception of field replaceablediplexers which do not have any intelligence thereon and are commonlyinstalled incorrectly by the end-user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is thus a goal of the present invention to allow the end-user tofield replace or assemble the transmission system components includingthe radio frequency module, the diplexer/filter module, and thetransition waveguide module all of which are mountable on a commonmainboard section to create a modular microwave transmission system thatmeets the end-user network requirement. Further, the present inventionforms a system that is modular in nature and ensures that the variouscomponents are correctly connected and automatically identifies thesystem configuration and operational limits. If invalid configurationsare installed, the system can automatically detect and report that acomponent was improperly installed or an incorrect component was used.

An additional advantage of the present invention is that only componentmodules need to be held in inventory to allow sparing for a large multiband network, keeping inventory costs down significantly and speeding upthe replacement process.

The present invention is directed to a wireless transmission systemcomprising a main circuit board having a first controller and a firstconnector assembly associated therewith; a removable and replaceableradio frequency module for transmitting and receiving wireless data,wherein the radio frequency module includes a second controller, a firstmodule connector assembly, and a second connector assembly that isconfigured to couple to the first connector assembly; a removable andreplaceable diplexer module for sending and receiving the wireless dataat different frequencies, wherein the diplexer module includes a storageelement, a first waveguide port connector, and a second module connectorassembly that is configured to couple to the first module connectorassembly; and a transition waveguide module having a second waveguideport connector that is configured to couple to the first waveguide portconnector.

The wireless data can include radio frequency and microwave frequencydata. Further, the diplexer module can be reversable so as to bedisposed in multiple different positions. The first and second moduleconnectors each can include a plurality of spring loaded pins.

The transition waveguide module can further include a third waveguideport connector for coupling to an antenna element, where the transitionwaveguide module is configured for sending the wireless data to theantenna element and for receiving wireless data from the antennaelement. The transition waveguide module is movable between a firstrotational position for disposing the antenna element in a firsttransmitting position and a second rotational position for disposing theantenna element in a second transmitting position. The diplexer modulecan further include a polarization sensor for sensing whether thetransition waveguide module is disposed in the first rotational positionor the second rotational position. The polarization sensor comprises aspring loaded pin.

According to the present invention, the second controller can storeradio frequency module identification information and the storageelement of the diplexer module can store diplexer module identificationinformation. The first controller can receive the frequency moduleidentification information and the diplexer module identificationinformation, and based on the received identification informationdetermine whether the radio frequency module and the diplexer module arecompatible. Each of the radio frequency module identificationinformation and the diplexer module identification information caninclude one or more of a module number and a serial number.

The radio frequency module receives a first transmit wireless datasignal from the main circuit board having a first selected frequency ina radio frequency range. The radio frequency module can further includean upconverter unit for converting the first transmit wireless datasignal having a first selected frequency into a second transmit wirelessdata signal having a second selected frequency that is higher than thefirst selected frequency, where the first selected frequency is in theradio frequency range and the second selected frequency is in themicrowave frequency range. The radio frequency module can also include adownconverter unit for receiving a receive wireless data signal having afrequency in a microwave frequency range and for converting the receivewireless data signal into a second receive wireless data signal having afrequency in the radio frequency range. Each of the upconverter unit andthe downconverter unit can include an oscillator element for changingthe frequency of the wireless data signal.

Further, the diplexer module is reversable so as to be selectivelyplaced in one of a high frequency filtering position or a low frequencyfiltering position. The diplexer module can also include a positionsensor element for sensing whether the diplexer module is disposed inthe high frequency position or the low frequency position. Thetransition waveguide module is rotationally movable between a firstrotational position for disposing the antenna element in a firsttransmitting position and a second rotational position for disposing theantenna element in a second transmitting position. The diplexer modulefurther comprises a sensor for sensing whether the transition waveguidemodule is disposed in the first rotational position or the secondrotational position, where the sensor is a polarization sensor.

According to the present invention, the first module connector assemblycan include a plurality of spring loaded pins and the polarizationsensor can include one or more spring loaded pins. The second moduleconnector assembly can include a first set of sensing contacts and asecond set of sensing contacts, where the first set of sensing contactsis coupled to the first module connector when the diplexer module isdisposed in the high frequency filtering position and the second set ofsensing contacts can be coupled to the first module connector when thediplexer module is disposed in the low frequency filtering position.

The diplexer module can further include a high passband filter unit forfiltering frequencies in a first frequency band and a low passbandfilter for filtering frequencies in a second frequency band. The firstfrequency band is higher than the second frequency band, and when thediplexer module is disposed in the high frequency filtering position,the high passband filter communicates with the second transmit wirelessdata signal, and when the diplexer module is disposed in the lowfrequency filtering position, the low passband filter communicates withthe second transmit wireless data signal. The first set of sensingcontacts and the second set of sensing contacts comprise a plurality ofspring loaded pins.

The second waveguide port connector of the transition waveguide modulecan be configured for convert an input signal from a rectangularwaveform signal to a circular waveform signal. The transition waveguidemodule further comprises an output circular waveguide port forcommunicating the circular waveform signal to an antenna element.Further, the transition waveguide module includes a main body having atop surface and an opposed bottom surface, where the bottom surfacecomprises a surface feature extending outwardly therefrom. Thetransition waveguide module is rotationally movable between a firstrotational position for disposing the antenna element in a firsttransmitting position and a second rotational position for disposing theantenna element in a second transmitting position. The diplexer modulealso includes a sensor for sensing whether the transition waveguidemodule is disposed in the first rotational position or the secondrotational position. The surface feature of the transition waveguidemodule is configured to engage with the sensor when the transitionwaveguide module is disposed in the first rotational position of thesecond rotational position. Further, the transition waveguide module isrotationally movable between a first rotational position for disposingthe antenna element in a first transmitting position and a secondrotational position for disposing the antenna element in a secondtransmitting position. The top surface of the main body of thetransition waveguide module can include indicia for visually identifyingthe first rotational position and the second rotational position.

The present invention is also directed to a modular diplexer subsystemof a wireless transmission system having a radio frequency module and atransition waveguide element that includes a modular main body havingmounted therein a storage element for storing selected parametersassociated with the diplexer subsystem, a first waveguide port connectorconfigured for coupling to the transition waveguide element, a moduleconnector assembly that is configured to couple to the radio frequencymodule, and a sensor for sensing a rotational position of the transitionwaveguide module.

The main body is reversable so as to be selectively placed in one of ahigh frequency filtering position or a low frequency filtering position.The module connector assembly can include a first set of sensingcontacts and a second set of sensing contacts, where the first set ofsensing contacts is coupled to the radio frequency module to communicateinformation therebetween when the main body is disposed in the highfrequency filtering position, and the second set of sensing contacts iscoupled to the radio frequency module to communicate informationtherebetween when the main body is disposed in the low frequencyfiltering position. Each of the first set of sensing contacts and thesecond set of sensing contacts can include a plurality of spring loadedpins. The storage element can also store identification information ofthe diplexer module.

Further, the main body is reversable so as to be selectively placed inone of a high frequency filtering position or a low frequency filteringposition. The main body can also include a high passband filter unit forfiltering frequencies in a first frequency band and a low passbandfilter for filtering frequencies in a second frequency band. The firstfrequency band is higher than the second frequency band, and when themain body is disposed in the high frequency filtering position, the highpassband filter communicates with a wireless data signal received fromthe radio frequency module, and when the diplexer module is disposed inthe low frequency filtering position, the low passband filtercommunicates with the wireless data signal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will bemore fully understood by reference to the following detailed descriptionin conjunction with the attached drawings in which like referencenumerals refer to like elements throughout the detailed description ofthe different views. The drawings illustrate principals of the inventionand, although not to scale, show relative dimensions.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary perspective view of the wireless transmissionsystem according to the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the components of the radio subsystemstacked on an electronic circuit board to form the wireless transmissionsystem of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic view of the wireless transmissionsystem of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a simplified schematic view of the electronic circuit board ofthe wireless transmission system of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a simplified schematic view of the electronic circuit board ofthe wireless transmission system when employing multiple radiosubsystems according to the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of the radio frequency moduleaccording to the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of the diplexer module according tothe teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of the transition waveguide moduleaccording to the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram of the polarization sensor employed bythe diplexer module of the present invention.

FIG. 9B is a perspective view of the diplexer module and the transitionwaveguide module mounted together and illustrating the various indiciathat can be employed to visually determine the positions of filters andthe polarization of the waveguide signal according to the teachings ofthe present invention.

FIG. 10A is a perspective view of the transition waveguide moduleshowing the top surface thereof according to the teachings of thepresent invention.

FIG. 10B is a perspective view of the transition waveguide moduleshowing the bottom surface thereof according to the teachings of thepresent invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic flow chart diagram illustrating the operation ofthe controllers of the main circuit board and the radio frequency moduleof the wireless transmission system of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a wireless transmission system thatcan include one or more modular radio subsystems or modules fortransmitting and receiving wireless radio frequency and microwave data.According to one embodiment, the present invention can include a fullduplex wireless transmission system that employs two or more modularradio subsystems 20, where a first radio subsystem transmits data on afirst frequency and the other or second radio subsystem transmits dataon a second different frequency, such that data passes over and throughthe system simultaneously in both directions. For the sake of simplicityand for purposes of clarity, the wireless transmission system of thepresent invention is described and illustrated herein employing a singleradio subsystem 20 although it is well understood that two or more radiosubsystems can be employed and mounted or coupled to the electroniccircuit board 12.

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate the wireless transmission system 10 of the presentinvention. The illustrated wireless transmission system 10 can includean electronic circuit board 12, such as a mainboard subassembly, asshown in FIG. 3 , that has coupled thereto a radio frequency module 14,a diplexer module 16 and a transition waveguide module 18. The radiofrequency module 14, the diplexer module 16 and the transition waveguidemodule 18 collectively form the radio subsystem 20. The transitionwaveguide module 18 can be coupled to an antenna component 22. Asillustrated, one or more of the modules of the radio subsystem 20 can becoextensive relative to each other or can be differently sized relativeto each other. The modules of the wireless transmission system 10 can bearranged relative to the electronic circuit board 12 in any selectedmanner, and preferably are vertically stacked on the board.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the wireless transmission system 10 can be coupledto a power supply 26 that provides power to the system and to anysuitable network equipment 28, as is known in the art. Specifically, thepower supply 26 is electronically coupled to a terminal block 32 of theelectronic circuit board 12 and selected network equipment 28 can becoupled to a connection port 34, such as an RJ45 network interfaceconnector (e.g., 1 Gbps 802.3 at PoE) or a small form-factor pluggable(SFP) interface connector (e.g., SFP, SFP+, SFP1, SFP2, and SFP3), ofthe board 12. The electronic circuit board 12 can include a connectorassembly 36, such as for example a male type RFM1 and/or RFM2 board toboard connector assembly, that is adapted to connect to a connectorassembly 38, such as a female type connector assembly, of the radiofrequency module 14. The illustrated radio frequency module 14 can alsoinclude on an output side waveguide ports 42 and 44 that are adapted toconnect to corresponding waveguide ports 52, 54 respectively on an inputside of the diplexer module 16. The waveguide ports can be rectangularwaveguide ports, although other shapes and types of waveguide ports canalso be used. The illustrated radio frequency module 14 can also includea set of module connectors 46 (e.g., spring loaded pins) for connectingto selected contacts 56 of the diplexer module 16. The module connectorscan be any selected type of electrical or mechanical connectors orsensors, and preferably employ spring loaded or pogo pins. The diplexermodule 16 can further include on an output or antenna side a singlecombined waveguide port 58 that is coupled to the transition waveguidemodule 18. The waveguide port 58 can preferably be a rectangularwaveguide port. The diplexer module 16 can also include a polarizationsensor 60 for sensing the orientation or rotational position of thetransition waveguide module 18, and hence the polarization of theantenna signal. The polarization sensor 60 can include any selected typeor number of sensors, and preferably can include a spring loaded pin.The illustrated transition waveguide module 18 is schematicallyrepresented as having a waveguide port 62 (e.g., rectangular to circulartransition) that is configured for interfacing with the waveguide port58 of the diplexer module 16, as well as a waveguide port 64 (e.g.,circular waveguide port) formed on an output or antenna side. Thewaveguide port 64 can be for example a circular waveguide port. Thetransition waveguide module 18 can interface with the antenna element22, which includes a waveguide port 66. The waveguide port 66 can be acircular waveguide port for interfacing with the waveguide port 64 ofthe transition waveguide module. The transition waveguide module 18 canbe shaped or configured to form the waveguide ports 62 and 64 tomechanically and electrically match the waveguide port of the diplexermodule to that of the antenna element 22. The antenna element 22 can beany suitable antenna element that is configured for operation with thewireless transmission system of the present invention, such as aparabolic dish antenna. The radio frequency module 14, the diplexermodule 16, and the transition waveguide module 18 can be stackedtogether to form the radio subsystem 20, and each of the modules can beshaped or configured to have a modular form or common form factor suchthat they are easily replaceable in the field.

FIG. 4 is a simplified schematic circuit representation of theelectronic circuit board 12. The illustrated electronic circuit board 12can further include at an input end an additional connector port 72,such as a serial connector port. The serial connector port is adapted toconnect with a console or craft port that forms part of the networkequipment connected to the wireless transmission system 10. The serialconnector port 72 enables the network equipment via the craft port toprovide management or control information to the radio subsystem 20. Thecontrol information is conveyed to a controller 70, such as a CPU, forprocessing thereby. The controller 70 can also have stored thereonselected software applications for controlling one or more components ofthe wireless transmission system as well as for processing theinformation received by the system. The controller 70 can be configured,for example, to send and receive control signals by a serial connectionvia the connector assembly 36. The controller 70 can include softwaresuch that when the controller software boots up, the controller 70obtains RF and diplexer operating limits information from the radiofrequency module 14 and ensures that any user specific settings for theradio subsystem 20 fall within these limits. The controller 70 can thusbe employed to program one or more parameters of the system, includingfor example frequency limit information (e.g., transmit and receive highand low frequency limits), insertion loss information, isolation data,and the like. Specifically, when the controller 70 reads the diplexerinformation via the radio module 14, the controller 70 can determine thefrequencies that the diplexer module 16 can transmit and receive on(e.g., filter boundaries) since that information is stored in the memory170 on the diplexer module 16. The insertion loss information, whichrepresents how much signal loss the diplexer module experiences atvarious frequency points, can also be stored in and hence read from thememory 170 to improve accuracy of the system 10. The isolation lossinformation represents the diplexer attenuation between transmit andreceive and can be used to limit the transmit power so the system 10does not interfere with itself. According to one practice, the diplexermodule is preset to a selected amount of isolation loss, such as forexample 2 dB. Further, the controller 70 can determine if the radiofrequency module is compatible with the diplexer module by determining,for example, if the diplexer module 16 is not installed correctly or ifthe installed diplexer module 16 is not supported by the radio frequencymodule 14, such as by comparing identification information associatedwith the radio frequency module with identification informationassociated with the diplexer module. The radio frequency module 14 orthe controller 70 can generate an error flag to notify the user of thiscondition.

The terminal block 32 is electronically coupled to the power supply 26for providing input power to the electronic circuit board 12 and to theother components of the radio subsystem 20. The terminal block 32 iscoupled to a power regulator 76 for regulating and providing power tothe system. The power regulator 76 generates power or voltage signals 77that are conveyed to the connector assembly 36 and that are compatiblewith the electrical components, for example, the RF module or RFM, ofthe system. The electronic circuit board 12 can also include a systemclock 78 for providing clock signals to one or more of the electricalcomponents of the wireless transmission system, as is known in the art.

The connection port 34 provides an interface to known network equipment,such as routers, switches, wireless access points, microwave systems,satellite uplink and downlink terminals, and the like. The data orinformation generated by the network components is transmitted over theselected interface type to a network switch 82. The switch 82 functionsas a central communication point for selectively switching between inputdata sources. The network switch 82 is in multi-channel bidirectionalcommunication with a physical link aggregation (PLA) unit 84. The PLAunit 84 splits the incoming traffic flow on a packet by packet basis,then transmits each packet over either modem 1 90A and modem 2 90B. Thecommunication lines between the network switch 82 and the PLA unit 84can provide a lower speed communication line 86A, such as for exampleabout 1 Gbps SGMII, for providing a communication pathway to handle low,fixed latency traffic and the like, as well as a higher speedcommunication line 86B operating at about 2.5 Gbps SGMII for providing acommunication pathway to handle the main data traffic of the electroniccircuit board 12 as well as the radio subsystem 20.

The PLA unit 84 can be coupled to a modem assembly 90 that includes,according to one embodiment, multiple modems, such as for example modems90A and 90B. The modem assembly 90, as is known, converts data from onedigital format intended for communication between devices withspecialized wiring into another format suitable for a differenttransmission medium. As such, the modem assembly 90 modulates one ormore input signals (e.g., carrier wave signals) to encode digitalinformation for transmission, and demodulates signals to decode thetransmitted information. The goal of the modem assembly 90 is to producea signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded reliably toreproduce the original digital data. The modems 90A and 90B can be anyselected type of modem, and are preferably 1.1 GHz modems capable ofgenerating digital intermediate frequency (IF) signals up to 1 GHz. Theoutput signals of the modems 90A, 90B are combined by a combiner 92 toform the transmit IF output signal 94, which is transmitted via theconnector assembly 36 to the radio subsystem 20. The informationtransmitted from the combiner 92 can be in the low to mid frequencyrange, such as between about 50 Mhz and about 1 Ghz, and preferably istransmitted in a range between about 140 MHz and about 350 MHz.Conversely, for the receive IF incoming signal 96 via the connectorassembly 36, the signal 96 is transmitted to a combiner 98 that servesto combine and then split the signal 96 between the modems 90A, 90B. Themodem assembly 90 can also communicate with an FPGA 100 for routing thedata streams of each modem through the FPGA 100 for encrypting anddecrypting the data.

The electronic circuit board 12 thus employs a dual modem mainboardsection. For each modem 90A, 90B on the mainboard there is anintermediate frequency (IF) interface for transmitting and receivingdata, a power input connection, and a communication interface (e.g., auniversal asynchronous receiver-transmitter (UART), an inter-integratedcircuit (I2C) or a serial peripheral interface (SPI)) to connect to theradio frequency module 14. The incoming payload data traffic isforwarded over the network switch 82 (e.g., serial gigabitmedia-independent interface SGMII), and is then divided and sent to oneof two modems 90A, 90B using the PLA unit 84. The transmit IF signalgenerated by each modem, if on two separate IF frequencies, may becombined by the combiner 92 into the combined transmit IF signal 94 andsent to a single radio frequency module 20 which uses a singlepolarization of the antenna. Alternatively, each transmit IF signal 94can be connected to a separate radio subsystem to allow using anysuitable transducer, such as an ortho-mode transducer (OMT), to use twodifferent antenna polarizations.

FIG. 4 illustrates the associated communication pathways for exchangingdata with a single radio subsystem 20 such as RF modules RFM1 and RFM2.FIG. 5 illustrates the communication pathway arrangement 104 whencommunicating with multiple radio subsystems 20.

FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of the radio frequency module 14according to the teachings of the present invention. The radio frequencymodule 14 employs the connector assembly 38 (e.g. a female connector)that can be coupled to the connector assembly 36 (e.g. a male connector)of the electronic circuit board 12. The connector assembly 38 can allowthe transmit IF signal 94 from the electronic circuit board 12 to beconveyed to an up conversion unit 110. The up conversion unit 110 isconfigured for converting the transmit IF signal 94 having a firstselected frequency into a signal having a second higher frequency. Theup conversion unit 110 can include a mixer 112 and an oscillator 114.The transmit IF signal 94 can be input to the mixer 112, and thefrequency of the transmit IF signal 94 can be changed, varied oradjusted by the oscillator 114. For example, the transmit IF signal 94can have a frequency in the low to mid frequency range (e.g., up to 1GHz) and the oscillator 114 can up convert the frequency of the transmitIF signal 94 to a frequency in a higher frequency range, such as forexample frequencies in the microwave frequency range between about 5 GHzand about 42 GHz. The output signal 116 of the up converter unit 110 canbe introduced to a power amplifier for increasing the power of theoutput signal 116. In response, the power amplifier 120 can generate atransmit RF output signal 122 having a higher power level associatedtherewith. For example, the power of the signal 116 input into the poweramplifier can be about 1 mW and the power amplifier 120 can amplify thepower of the output signal 122 to between about 1 W and about 2 W. Thetransmit RF output signal 122 generated by the power amplifier 120 canbe introduced to the rectangular waveguide port 42. The rectangularwaveguide port 42 is configured for transmitting to the diplexer moduleradio waves in the microwave frequency range. Further, the input powersignal 77 can be conveyed via the connector assembly 38 to an inputpower regulator 126. The power regulator regulates the power supplied tothe radio subsystem 20, and generates the power output signal 128 (e.g.3.3V power out) that is conveyed to a sensor assembly 130 as one of thesensor inputs.

The illustrated radio frequency module 14 can include a separatecontroller 140, such as a CPU, for providing a separate and distinctlevel of control of one or more components of the radio subsystem 20.The controller 140 is in communication with the electronic circuit board12 via the connector assembly 38, and can communicate with thecontroller 70 via a serial communication pathway (e.g., serialcommunication RFM1 and RFM2). The controller 140 is also incommunication with the sensor assembly 130 via a number of communicationpathways 142. The communication pathways 142 can include one or moreinter-integrated circuit (I²C or I2C) buses or pathways that enable thecontroller 140 to communicate with a controller or memory device, suchas the memory 170 in the diplexer module 16. For example, thecommunication pathways 142 can include an I2C clock (SCL) pathway 132for communicating a clock signal from the system clock 78 to the memory170, an I2C data (SDA) pathway 134 for exchanging data with the memory170, a position sensor element such as a diplexer high-low sense pathway136 coupled to a corresponding sensing pin (e.g., pogo pin of the sensorassembly 130) for sensing whether the diplexer module 16 in disposed ina high or low frequency filtering state or position, a polarizationsense pathway 138 for sensing the polarization of the antenna 22 via thetransition waveguide module 18, and a ground pathway 144 that isconnected to ground. The pathways 142 are connected to the sensorassembly 130, which can include any selected type of mechanical orelectrical sensor, and preferably includes a set of pogo orspring-loaded type pins.

The radio frequency module 14 further includes the rectangular waveguideport 44 for receiving incoming or input data via an input or receivewaveguide signal, such as for example radio waves, from the diplexermodule 16. The waveguide 44 thus receives an incoming receive RF signal146 from the diplexer module 16 that is coupled to and amplified by anoise filter, such as a low noise amplifier 150, for reducing the amountor level of noise in the receive RF signal 146 and to improve theoverall receive noise figures or levels. The amplifier 150 generates anoutput incoming signal 152 that is passed to a down converter unit 154for down converting the frequency of the amplifier signal 152 to afrequency level that is compatible with the electronic circuit board 12.For example, similar to the up converter unit 110, the down converterunit 154 includes a mixer 156 for mixing the signal 152 with a signalgenerated by an oscillator 158. The resultant receive IF signal 96 is atthe a different frequency then the transmit IF signal 94 that is inputinto the up converter unit 110 so as to avoid interference.

The radio frequency module 14 thus employs a controller 140 that storesand executes software that is capable of communicating with and readinginformation in the memory 170 of the diplexer module 16. The controller140 can thus read from the memory 170 in the diplexer module 16 theminimum and maximum transmit/receive frequency limits based oninformation stored, for example, in a lookup table. The lookup table canalso contain information about the insertion loss of the diplexer module16 at various frequencies so as to improve the overall accuracy of thetransmit power output measurement and receiver input signal level. Theinsertion loss of the diplexer can vary across the range of allowablefrequencies by a selected amount, such as for example up to about 2 dB.Once the insertion loss amount or level is known, then the system canadjust the transmit power of the radio frequency module 14 to compensateto make the actual power output to the transition module the same forall frequencies. The controller 140 can also store identificationinformation about the radio frequency module, such as the model numberand the serial number of the module, as well as information about thetransmit power (e.g., minimum and maximum values), and the transmit andreceive frequency ranges (e.g., minimum and maximum values), as well asother selected radio frequency module parameters.

Further, the illustrated sensor assembly 130 functions as acommunication interface between the radio frequency module 14 and thediplexer module 16 and employs an I2C interface, which can include clockand other types of bidirectional data that are electrically connected tothe diplexer module 16 using spring loaded pins (e.g., pogo pins) thatare capable of making contact with the diplexer module 16. The powercommunication pathway 128 and the ground communication pathway 144 areprovided to the memory 170 using separate spring loaded pins that alsomake contact with the diplexer module 16.

The sensor assembly 130 can also employ a separate spring loaded pinfrom the RF module 14 corresponding to the diplexer high-low sensepathway 136 that is grounded in the diplexer module 16 if the diplexeris positioned with the low band in the transmit position, and isdisposed in an open circuit or high state if the high band is in thetransmit position. This allows the same diplexer module 16 to be used tocreate a transmit low band or a transmit high band radio simply byrotating the diplexer module, in plane, 180 degrees. The radio frequencymodule 14 can also employ another spring-loaded pin in the sensorassembly 130 that corresponds to the polarization sense pathway 138 thatcan be used to determine the polarization position of the transitionwaveguide module 18 which is mounted to the diplexer module 16. Morespecifically, the spring loaded pin corresponding to the polarizationsense pathway 138 is in electrical communication with an electrical pad168 formed on a circuit board 160 in the diplexer module 16 (FIG. 7 ),and the pad 168 is in turn electrically connected to another springloaded pin 166 that transverses the body of the diplexer and is eitherdisposed in an open circuit configuration or grounded by the transitionwaveguide module based on which polarization the transition is installedto use, FIG. 9A.

After sensing the diplexer module 16 and the transition waveguide module18 via the spring loaded pins of the sensor assembly 130, the radiofrequency module 14 can be programmed to configure the high or low bandoperation of the diplexer module 16 and the polarization of the antenna22. That is, the radio frequency module retrieves selected informationstored in the memory of the diplexer module 16, which includes diplexeridentification information (e.g., model number and serial number), thepolarization, transmit band (e.g., high or low), high and low pass bandfrequency ranges, and insertion loss for each pass band at the edges andmidpoint of the frequency band. The controller 140 of the electroniccircuit board 14 can be used to query the radio frequency module 14 toretrieve related settings and to inform the user of the configuration byfor example a command line interface, web interface, or a simple networkmanagement protocol (SNMP). Further, each of the radio frequency modulescan be calibrated at the factory over the entire band of operationsupported by that specific model.

FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of the diplexer module 16 accordingto the teachings of the present invention. The illustrated diplexermodule 16 includes a circuit board 160 that mounts a sensor assembly 162that is adapted to interface and communicate with the sensor assembly130 of the radio frequency module 14 as shown in FIG. 6 . The sensorassembly 162 can include a series of electrical or sensor contacts, suchas pogo or spring-loaded pins, that can be electrically coupled with theelectrical contacts (e.g., pogo pins) of the sensor assembly 130. Thesensor assembly 162 preferably includes two sets of common electrical orsensor contacts 162A, 162B that enable the diplexer module 16 to bedisposed in first and second positions depending upon the mountingposition of the diplexer module. The first set of electrical contacts inthe form of pogo pins 162A are coupled to selected communicationpathways 164, such as communication pathways 164A that correspond to thecommunication pathways 142 of the radio frequency module 14 as shown inFIG. 6 . For example, the first set of communication pathways 164Aincludes the power output signal pathway 128D for coupling to the powersignal pathway 128, the I2C clock pathway 132D for connecting to theclock pathway 132, the I2C data pathway 134D for connecting to the I2Cdata pathway 134, the polarization sense pathway 136DA for connecting tothe polarization sense pathway 138, and the ground pathway 144D forconnecting to the ground pathway 144. The polarization sense pathway 138of the radio frequency module 14 is coupled to the circuit board 160 viathe sensor assembly 162, which is turn is coupled to the polarizationsensor 166. The polarization sensor 166 can sense or determine thepolarization of the antenna 22 by sensing the rotational position of thetransition waveguide module 18 relative to the diplexer module 16. Thepolarization sensor 166 can be any selected type of sensor, and ispreferably a pogo or spring loaded pin type sensor. The first set ofcommunication pathways 164A are adapted to connect with the sensorassembly 130 of the of the radio frequency module 14, via the contacts162A, when the diplexer module 16 is disposed in a first position. Inthe first position, the diplexer high-low sense pathway 136 of the radiofrequency module 14 is connected to the diplexer high pathway 136DA. Assuch, the controller 140 senses a high signal along this pathway. Thishigh signal corresponds to a sensed first position of the diplexermodule 16, where the high passband filter 180 is disposed on thetransmit side of the radio subsystem 20, as shown for example in FIG. 7. If the diplexer module 16 is rotated or twisted in plane 180 degreesinto a second position, then the sensor assembly 130 is disposed incontact with the second set of electrical contacts 162B, whichcorrespond to communication pathways 164B. In the second position, thediplexer high-low sense pathway 136 is disposed in contact with thediplexer low pathway 136DB and the controller 140 senses a low signal,which is indicative of the diplexer module 16 being disposed in thesecond position.

The communication pathways associated with the power 128D, clock 132Dand data 134D are coupled to the memory 170. The memory 170 can be anysuitable type of memory unit, and is preferably an electrically erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EEPROM). The memory 170 can store anyselected types of identification and operational information of thediplexer module. For example, the memory 170 can store diplexeridentification information (e.g., model number and serial number), thepolarization of the transition waveguide module, transmit frequency bandinformation (e.g., high or low), the high and low pass band frequencyranges, and the insertion loss for or associated with each pass band,such as for example measured at the edges and midpoint of the frequencyband.

The illustrated waveguide port 52 (e.g., rectangular waveguide port) canbe coupled to the waveguide port 42 of the RF module 14 on the transmitside and can communicate with a filter unit, such as a high passbandfilter unit 180 for passing frequencies in a higher frequency band. Theoutput signal 182 is conveyed to a waveguide junction 184, which is inturn coupled to the output waveguide port 58 (e.g., rectangularwaveguide port). Further, the rectangular waveguide port 54 is coupledto a second filter unit, such as for example a low passband filter unitfor passing frequencies in a lower frequency band. The filter unit 186is also disposed in communication with the waveguide junction 184, whichis in turn coupled to the output waveguide port 58. Only a small portionof the spectrum is passed by the filters 180, 186, and the passedfrequencies vary based on various regulatory requirements. For example,the low passband filter 186 passes frequencies between about 10.7 GHzand 10.9 GHz and the high passband filter 180 passes frequencies betweenabout 11.29 GHz and about 11.49 GHz. All other frequencies are filteredout.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 7, 9A and 9B, the diplexer module 16 isprimarily used to filter the transmit RF signal 122 received from the RFmodule 14 and the receive RF signal 188, and contains a high passbandfilter 180 and a low passband filter 186 which are internally connectedtogether using waveguides as shown in FIG. 7 . The diplexer module 16 issymmetric about a central axis perpendicular to a longitudinal axis ofthe main body such that the module can be installed onto the radiofrequency module 14 with either the high passband filter or the lowpassband filter located over the transmitter waveguide 42. The diplexermodule 16 can further include a circuit board 160 which is integratedinto the body of the diplexer. The circuit board 160 has a memory unit170 (e.g., an EEPROM) as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9A that contains selectedinformation, such as for example diplexer identification information,including for example the model, serial number, and date code of thediplexer module 16 which can be accessed using the I2C data bus orpathway 134D that is electrically connected to the radio frequencymodule 14. The radio frequency module 14 provides a supply voltage viathe power signal pathway 128 for providing power to the memory 170 aswell as to other components, including ground, clock and data linesusing spring loaded pins that touch electrical contacts or pads on thebottom of the circuit board 160. The circuit board 160 can also have avoid position that indicates the physical orientation that has thehigher passband frequency range, also call the High side aligned withthe transmit waveguide port 42 of the radio frequency module 14.

As shown in FIG. 9B, the diplexer module 16 can have a main body 190that can include selected indicia 194, 196 on an outer surface thereofthat can be employed to visually determine the positions of filters andthe polarization of the waveguide signal according to the teachings ofthe present invention. The indicia can include for example letters,numbers or symbols that visually provides information to a user. In thecurrent example, the indicia 194 can include a high passband indicia Hor High and a low passband filter indicia L or Low. The user can orientthe diplexer module 16 such that the H or High side of the module 16couples the waveguide port 52 with the waveguide port 42 in a firstposition such that the transmit signals are passed through the highpassband filter unit 180 and the receive signals pass through the lowpassband filter 186 as shown in FIG. 7 . Alternatively, the diplexermodule 16 can be twisted or rotated into a second position such that theL or Low side of the diplexer module 16 couples the waveguide port 54with the transmit waveguide port 42 in a second position such that thetransmit signals are passed through the low passband filter unit 186 andthe receive signals pass through the high passband filter 180. The outersurface of the main body 190 of the diplexer module can also haveorientation indicia 196 formed thereon. The orientation indicia 196 canbe any selected number, letter or symbol, and preferably includes a lineor arrow, as shown. The orientation indicia 196 allows the user todetermine the selected position or orientation of the transitionwaveguide module 18 when mounted thereon. This position corresponds tothe polarization of the signal generated by the antenna 22.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the circuit board 160 of the diplexer module 16 canalso include the polarization sensor 166, which can include aspring-loaded pin that transverses through the diplexer main body 190(FIG. 9B) and makes contact with the transition waveguide module 18(FIG. 9B) so as enable one or more of the controllers of the wirelesstransmission system 10 to determine the mechanical position of thetransition waveguide module 18, which in turn is representative of theradio wave polarization (e.g., horizontal or vertical) of the antenna22. The radio frequency module 14 can sense and detect the polarizationposition by way of the sensor 166 by sensing a contact or pad 168 on thecircuit board 160 that is electrically connected to the sensor (e.g.,spring-loaded pin). According to one embodiment, the polarization sensor166 can sense an open circuit when the transition waveguide module 18 isdisposed in a first position, which can correspond for example to avertical polarization of the radio waves of the antenna, and thepolarization sensor 166 can sense ground when the transition waveguidemodule 18 is disposed in a second position, which can correspond forexample to a horizontal polarization of the radio waves of the antenna.The circuit board 160 thus has symmetrical electrical contacts along thecenterline of the diplexer main body 190 such that the radio frequencymodule 14 can contact the power, I2C clock and data, polarization sense,and high/low sense pads in either the first position (e.g., 0 degreeinstalled position) or in the second position (e.g., when rotated 180degrees).

As shown in FIGS. 1, 8, 9B, 10A, and 10B, the transition waveguidemodule 18 can be mounted to the diplexer module 16 such that thewaveguide port 58 of the diplexer module communicates with the waveguideport 62 (FIG. 8 ) on the input side of the transition waveguide module18. The waveguide port 62 serves to receive the signals from thediplexer module 16, and in conjunction with the circular waveguide port64 (FIG. 8 ) convert the signal from a rectangular wave form to acircular wave form, for subsequent introduction to the antenna element22. The transition waveguide module 18 (FIG. 8 ) can include a circularmain body 200 (FIG. 10A) that has a bottom surface 202 and an opposedtop surface 204. The bottom surface 202 (FIG. 10B) can have therectangular waveguide port 62 (FIG. 8 ) formed therein for receiving thewaveguide signal from the waveguide 58 of the diplexer module 16. Theinput waveguide signal is then conveyed to a circular waveguide port 64(FIG. 8 ) formed in the top surface 204 and disposed on the output sidefor converting the rectangular waveform signal to a circular waveformsignal. The main body 200 can also include indicia 208 (FIG. 9B) formedon the top surface 204. The indicia 208 can include any suitable number,letter or symbol that enables the user to visually determine therotational position of the transition waveguide module 18 (FIG. 8 ).According to one embodiment, the indicia 208 can include a letter V anda letter H formed on the top surface 204 and that are separated fromeach other along the circumference of the circular main body 200 asshown in FIG. 10A. The indicia 208 is intended to cooperate with theindicia 196 formed on the main body 190 of the diplexer module 16 todetermine whether the V or the H are aligned with one of the arrows. Thetransition waveguide module 18 can be rotated so as to align the V orthe H with one of the arrows, thus indicating whether the transitionwaveguide module 18 is positioned to provide signal polarizationinstructions to the antenna to shift the radio waves in the vertical orhorizontal direction. That is, the antenna radio waves can be shifted byselecting the position of the transition waveguide module 18.Specifically, the transition waveguide module 18 can rotate or twist theorientation of the sine wave signal (e.g., the radio frequency signal),thus changing the polarization thereof. Further, the transitionwaveguide module 18 can be configured to interact with the polarizationsensor 166 by depressing the spring loaded pin sensor when disposed inone of the positions, and not depressing the pin when disposed in theother position.

The transition waveguide module 18 is used to select which polarizationthat is used by the antenna 22. The user can rotate the transitionwaveguide module a quarter turn (e.g., 90 degrees) to change thepolarization of the antenna element from vertical (V) to horizontal (H).The output of the transition waveguide module 18 is a circular waveguidesignal that has an impedance that is matched to the impedance of theantenna that interacts therewith. Further, according to one embodiment,when the transition waveguide module 18 is installed on the diplexermodule 16, a mechanical pin 210 (FIG. 10B) formed on the main body 200of the transition waveguide module 18 is configured to contact thepolarization sensor 166 (e.g., spring loaded pin) when the module 18 isdisposed in the horizontal polarization setting H, and the pin 210 doesnot contact the polarization sensor when the module 18 is disposed inthe vertical polarization position V. As described herein, the topsurface 204 of the main body 200 of the transition waveguide module 18can be etched to include the indicia markings 208 (FIG. 9B) showing thepolarity (“V” or “H”), which when installed near alignment indicia marks196 on the main body of the diplexer module 16 enables the user tocorrectly position the transition module. The transition waveguidemodule 18 can thus be repositioned without removing the radio coverusing captive screws mounted in the transition.

In assembly and operation, the radio subsystem 20 can be mounted to theelectronic circuit board 12. In this regard, the radio frequency module14 can be mounted to the electronic circuit board 12 by connecting theconnector assembly 36 to the connector assembly 38. The terminal block32 can be coupled to the power supply 26 and the network equipment 28can be coupled to the connection port 34. Further, selected equipment iscoupled to the serial port connector 72. The power supplied to theterminal block 32 is regulated by the power regulator 76, and theregulated power is supplied to the rest of the system 10. The networkequipment 28 can provide data to the modem assembly 90 which can then beconveyed to the radio subsystem 20 via the transmit RF communicationpathway 94. Specifically, the incoming payload data from the networkequipment can be forwarded through the network switch 32, then dividedand sent to one of two modems using a Physical Link Aggregation (PLA)circuit. The transmit IF signal from each modem 90A, 90B, if on twodifferent frequencies, may be combined via the combiner 92 and sent to asingle radio subsystem 20 which uses a single polarization of theantenna 22. Alternatively, each transmit IF signal from the modems 90A,90B can be connected to separate radio subsystems to allow for the useof two different antenna polarizations. Likewise, data can be receivedby the modem assembly 90 over the receive IF communication pathway 96.Once connected, the controller 140 of the radio frequency module 14 isdisposed in communication with the controller 70.

As shown for example in FIG. 11 , when the controller 70 of theelectronic circuit board 12 is powered on and boots up, step 220, thecontroller 70 reads selected information from the controller 140 relatedto the radio frequency module 14, step 222. For example, the controller70 can receive from the controller 140 identification or radio frequencymodule data read information (e.g., serial number and model number) ofthe module 14, maximum and minimum transmit power level parameters,transmit and receive frequency data including minimum and maximum andfrequency band data, diplexer related information including polarizationsensor information, and various metrics such as temperature, faults,Antipol—GPIO_1, Hi/Lo Sense GPIO_0, and the like, step 224. Thecontroller 70 can also program the radio subsystem 20 per the userrequirements for transmit and receive IF/RF operating frequencies andtransmit power, thus ensuring that the user set parameters are withinthe radio frequency module and diplexer module operating limits.

The controller 70 can also read the information stored in the memoryunit 170 of the diplexer module, step 226. The information storedtherein can be conveyed via the controller 140 or can be read directlytherefrom by the controller 70. The memory unit 170 can store anyselected types of diplexer module selected information, such as forexample identification or diplexer data read information (e.g., modelnumber and serial number), radio frequency band and sub-bandinformation, low and high passband frequency range information (e.g.,frequency start and end boundaries), insertion loss (i.e. IL)information including low, mid and high frequency point information forboth the low band and the high band frequency ranges, TR spacing, ComPort WG, and the like, step 228. The insertion loss can be preset to beabout 2 dB.

Further, the system 10 can be configured such that the controller 70compares the identification information of the radio frequency module 14and the diplexer module 16 to determine whether the modules arecompatible, step 230. Specifically, the controller 70 can store variousidentification information regarding the RF module and the diplexermodule in a look up table so as to determine if the diplexer module 16is compatible with the radio frequency module 14 by comparing thediplexer identification information with the data in the table. As usedherein, the term “compatible” is intended to mean that the radiofrequency module and the diplexer module are intended to operate or workwith each other without conflict or collision so as to allow theexchange of information therebetween. Thus, if the diplexer module 16 isnot installed or mis-installed in the radio subsystem 20 (i.e., No), orthe installed diplexer module is not supported by the radio module 14,the controller 70 or 140 can set an error signal or flag to notify theuser of this condition, step 232.

Further, the controller 70 determines whether the settings within theradio frequency module 14 and the diplexer module 16 (i.e. Yes) havebeen properly configured or set within the ranges specified by themodules, step 234. In this regard, the controller 70 can receive a loadconfigure file, step 236, from the base unit that employs the system 10.The load configure file can be set (i.e. No) by the user of the system.If the settings have not been properly configured or set (i.e. Yes),then the controller 70 can set a flag or other notification indicatingthat a configuration error exists, step 238. If the parameters have beenproperly set, then the controller 70 programs the settings within thefile in the respective modules, step 240. For example, the configurefile can include radio frequency module settings including the transmitand receive RF and IF frequencies (e.g., TX/RX RF and IF frequencies),the transmit power levels, the transmit and receive frequency ranges orbandwidth (e.g., TX/RX bandwidth), RFMPA_Enable, and the like, step 242.In response to the settings, the controller 70 can write to thecontroller 140 the foregoing data, step 244. The controller 70 can thenread the current radio frequency module metrics, step 246, and updatethe system variables as needed, step 248. The RFM metrics can includethe transmit and receive frequency information (e.g., RF and IF), thetransmit and receive frequency bandwidth information, ADPD enable on/offstatus information, program input-output (GPIO) information, and thelike. Further, the controller 70 can process the signals generated bypolarizations sensor 166 so as to determine the polarization position ofthe transition waveguide module 18.

In the radio frequency module 14 as shown in FIG. 6 , the transmit IFsignal 94 can be passed along the corresponding communication pathwayand can be passed through the up conversion unit 110 and the poweramplifier 120 where the frequency and the power of the transmit IFsignal is increased. The up converted and amplified signal in the formof the transmit RF output signal 122 is introduced to the waveguide port42. The controller 140 of the radio frequency module 14 can process thedata associated with the signals received from the sensor assembly 130.This data includes for example the diplexer high-low sense signal 136 todetermine the position of the diplexer module 16 as well as the signals138 (e.g., polarization sense) generated by the polarization sensor 166.The controller 140 can also receive the data from the memory 170 of thediplexer module 16, including for example model or identificationinformation associated therewith. The controller 140 can alsocommunicate or interface with the controller 70 to obtain userparameters to program the radio frequency module 14.

The diplexer module 16 can be mounted on the radio frequency module 14as shown in FIG. 1 and can be disposed in one of the first or secondpositions relative thereto. The diplexer module 16 can be primarily usedto filter the transmit and receive RF signals 122, 146. When thediplexer module 16 is disposed in the first position (e.g., a HIGH or Hposition), the waveguide port 52 is coupled with the waveguide port 42and the pins of the output sensor assembly 130 are coupled to the firstset of pins 162A of the sensor assembly 162. When connected in thismanner, the transmit RF output signal 122 is passed through the highpassband filter 180 which passes therethrough the high frequency portionof the signal 122 to form a filtered high frequency output signal 182.The high frequency output signal 182 passes through the waveguidejunction 184 and is then introduced to the waveguide port 58. Further,the diplexer high electrical contact 136DA is in electrical contact withthe sensor assembly 130 thus indicating that the diplexer module 16 isdisposed in the first position (e.g., High position) where the highpassband filter is disposed on the transmit side of the radio frequencymodule 14. The diplexer module 16 can be reversed or placed into asecond position (e.g., a low position) where the waveguide port 54 iscoupled to the waveguide port 42, such the transmit RF signal 122 ispassed through the low passband filter 186. In this position, thediplexer high-low sense pathway 136 is coupled, via the sensor assembly130, to the diplexer low pathway 136DB, thus indicating that thediplexer module 16 is placed in the Low position.

Further, the controller 140 of the radio frequency module 14 can run andexecute software that reads selected identification information, as wellas other types of information, that is stored in the memory 170 of thediplexer module 16. The identification information can include forexample the diplexer model information. Further, the controller 140 canalso program the minimum and maximum transmit/receive frequency limitsthat can be stored, for example, in a lookup table. The lookup table canalso include information about the insertion loss of the diplexer atvarious frequencies to improve the accuracy of the transmit power outputmeasurement and receiver input signal level.

The transition waveguide module 18 can be mounted on top of the diplexermodule 16 as shown in FIG. 1 and can be positioned such that thepolarization is changed into the horizontal or vertical direction orsense. The transition waveguide module 18 is used to select thepolarization that will be employed by the antenna 22. When mounted onthe diplexer module 16, the rectangular to circular waveguide converter62 of the transition waveguide module 18 is coupled to the waveguideport 58. Further, the transition waveguide module 18 can interact withthe polarization sensor 166. Specifically, the polarization sensor 166engages with the transition waveguide module 18 when the module 18 isdisposed in a first position, such as the High position, and does notengage with the transition waveguide module 18 when disposed in thesecond position, such as the Low position.

The transmit RF output signal 122 can be conveyed to the transitionwaveguide module 18 where the rectangular waveguide pattern of thesignal 122 as imparted by the rectangular waveguides 42, 52, 58 on thetransmit side of the radio subsystem 20 is changed to a circularwaveguide pattern that better matches the antenna 22 by the rectangularto circular waveguide converter 62 and circular waveguide port 64. Theoutput of the transition waveguide module 18 is a circular waveguidesignal that is impedance matched to the antenna 22. The end-user canrotate the transition waveguide module 18 in either direction 90 degreesto change the polarization of the antenna signal from Vertical toHorizontal. The indicia 196 can be employed to help the user visuallyalign the transition waveguide module 18 with the correct indicia mark.In transmission mode, the radio subsystem 20 can supply an electriccurrent to the antenna 22, and the antenna 22 generates electromagneticwaves (e.g., radio waves).

In reception mode, the antenna 22 receives radio waves in order toproduce an antenna input signal on the receive side of the radiosubsystem 20. The antenna input signal enters waveguide port 64 and isconverted to a rectangular waveguide by the rectangular to circularwaveguide converter 62. The antenna input signal is then connected tothe waveguide port 58 of the transition waveguide module 18 to form theantenna input signal. The antenna input signal passes through thewaveguide junction 184 and is directed to the receive side of thesubsystem to form the receive RF antenna signal 188. The receive RFantenna signal 188 passes through the low passband filter 186 to formthe receive RF signal 146. The receive RF signal 146 passes through thewaveguides 54, 44 and then passes through the noise amplifier 150 toremove unwanted noise therefrom and to amplify the signal. The signal152 then passed through the down converter unit 154 to reduce or stepdown the frequency of the signal to form the receive IF signal 96. Thereceive IF signal 96 generated by the down converter unit 154 is thenintroduced to the connector assembly 38, and then via the connectorassembly 36 is introduced to n the electronic circuit board 12. Thereceive IF signal is then introduced to the modem assembly 90 andprocessed thereby. The data carried in the receive IF signal 96 is theneventually processed by the controller 70.

The present invention is thus directed to a modular microwavetransmission system where the diplexer module 16 has electronic meansthat serves to identify a model number of the diplexer, as well as meansfor the host radio frequency module 14 or electronic circuit board 12 tolookup the electrical parameters of the diplexer module. The system canalso include means to automatically program system parameters in thecontroller 70 to match the installed diplexer module 16, or to notifythe user if no diplexer is installed or a mismatched diplexer isinstalled.

The present invention also employs the diplexer high-low sense sensor orcommunication pathway to identify if the diplexer module 16 is installedwith the high band side or the low band side on the transmit side of theradio subsystem 20. The system 10 also employs the polarization sensor166 to determine the polarization of the transition waveguide module 18.

The diplexer module 16 also employs a memory unit 170 that storesidentification information about the diplexer module, such as the modelnumber. The controller 70 of the electronic circuit board 12 cancommunicate with the controller 140 and with the memory 170 to lookupselected parameters of the diplexer, and to automatically program theparameters to match the diplexer.

It is contemplated that systems, devices, methods, and processes of thedisclosure invention encompass variations and adaptations developedusing information from the embodiments described herein. Adaptationand/or modification of the systems, devices, methods, and processesdescribed herein may be performed by those of ordinary skill in therelevant art.

Throughout the description, where articles, devices, and systems aredescribed as having, including, or comprising specific components, orwhere processes and methods are described as having, including, orcomprising specific steps, it is contemplated that, additionally, thereare articles, devices, and systems of the present disclosure thatconsist essentially of, or consist of, the recited components, and thatthere are processes and methods according to the present disclosure thatconsist essentially of, or consist of, the recited processing steps.

It should be understood that the order of steps or order for performingcertain action is immaterial so long as the disclosure remains operable.Moreover, two or more steps or actions may be conducted simultaneously.The mention herein of any publication, for example, in the Backgroundsection, is not an admission that the publication serves as prior artwith respect to any of the claims presented herein. The Backgroundsection is presented for purposes of clarity and is not meant as adescription of prior art with respect to any claim.

It is to be understood that the disclosed subject matter is not limitedin its application to the details of construction and to thearrangements of the components set forth above or illustrated in thedrawings. The disclosed subject matter is capable of other embodimentsand of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is tobe understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein arefor the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods, and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the disclosed subject matter.

I claim:
 1. A wireless transmission system, comprising a main circuitboard having a first controller and a first connector assemblyassociated therewith, a removable and replaceable radio frequency modulefor transmitting and receiving wireless data, wherein the radiofrequency module includes a second controller, a first module connectorassembly, and a second connector assembly that is configured to coupleto the first connector assembly, a removable and replaceable diplexermodule for sending and receiving the wireless data at differentfrequencies, wherein the diplexer module includes a storage element, afirst waveguide port connector, and a second module connector assemblythat is configured to couple to the first module connector assembly, anda transition waveguide module having a second waveguide port connectorthat is configured to couple to the first waveguide port connector. 2.The wireless transmission system of claim 1, wherein the radio frequencymodule receives a first transmit wireless data signal from the maincircuit board having a first selected frequency in a radio frequencyrange, and wherein the radio frequency module further comprises anupconverter unit for converting the first transmit wireless data signalhaving the first selected frequency into a second transmit wireless datasignal having a second selected frequency that is higher than the firstselected frequency, wherein the first selected frequency is in the radiofrequency range and the second selected frequency is in a microwavefrequency range, and a downconverter unit for receiving a receivewireless data signal having a frequency in the microwave frequency rangeand for converting the receive wireless data signal into a secondreceive wireless data signal having a frequency in the radio frequencyrange.
 3. The wireless transmission system of claim 2, wherein thediplexer module is configured to be selectively placed in one of a highfrequency filtering position or a low frequency filtering position, andwherein the diplexer module further comprises a position sensor elementfor sensing whether the diplexer module is disposed in the highfrequency position or the low frequency position.
 4. The wirelesstransmission system of claim 3, wherein the transition waveguide moduleis rotationally movable between a first rotational position fordisposing an antenna element in a first transmitting position and asecond rotational position for disposing the antenna element in a secondtransmitting position, and wherein the diplexer module further comprisesa sensor for sensing whether the transition waveguide module is disposedin the first rotational position or the second rotational position. 5.The wireless transmission system of claim 4, wherein the sensor is apolarization sensor.
 6. The wireless transmission system of claim 5,wherein the first module connector assembly comprises a plurality ofspring loaded pins, and wherein the polarization sensor is a springloaded pin.
 7. The wireless transmission system of claim 3, wherein thesecond module connector assembly of the diplexer module comprises afirst set of sensing contacts and a second set of sensing contacts,wherein the first set of sensing contacts is coupled to the first moduleconnector assembly when the diplexer module is disposed in the highfrequency filtering position and wherein the second set of sensingcontacts is coupled to the first module connector assembly when thediplexer module is disposed in the low frequency filtering position. 8.The wireless transmission system of claim 7, wherein the diplexer modulefurther comprises a high passband filter unit for filtering frequenciesin a first frequency band, and a low passband filter for filteringfrequencies in a second frequency band, wherein the first frequency bandis higher than the second frequency band, and wherein when the diplexermodule is disposed in the high frequency filtering position, the highpassband filter communicates with the second transmit wireless datasignal, and wherein when the diplexer module is disposed in the lowfrequency filtering position the low passband filter communicates withthe second transmit wireless data signal.
 9. The wireless transmissionsystem of claim 8, wherein the first set of sensing contacts and thesecond set of sensing contacts comprise a plurality of spring loadedpins.
 10. The wireless transmission system of claim 9, wherein thestorage element stores identification information of the diplexermodule.
 11. The wireless transmission system of claim 2, wherein each ofthe upconverter unit and the downconverter unit comprises an oscillatorelement.
 12. The wireless transmission system of claim 1, wherein thesecond controller stores radio frequency module identificationinformation and the storage element of the diplexer module storesdiplexer module identification information, and wherein the firstcontroller receives the radio frequency module identificationinformation and the diplexer module identification information, andbased on the radio frequency module identification information and thediplexer module identification information determines whether the radiofrequency module and the diplexer module are compatible.
 13. Thewireless transmission system of claim 12, wherein each of the radiofrequency module identification information and the diplexer moduleidentification information comprises one or more of a respective modulenumber and a respective serial number.
 14. The wireless transmissionsystem of claim 1, wherein the first and second module connectorassemblies each comprise a plurality of spring loaded pins.
 15. Thewireless transmission system of claim 1, wherein the transitionwaveguide module further comprises a third waveguide port connector forcoupling to an antenna element, wherein the transition waveguide moduleis configured for sending the wireless data to the antenna element andfor receiving wireless data from the antenna element.
 16. The wirelesstransmission system of claim 15, wherein the transition waveguide moduleis movable between a first rotational position for disposing the antennaelement in a first transmitting position and a second rotationalposition for disposing the antenna element in a second transmittingposition.
 17. The wireless transmission system of claim 16, wherein thediplexer module further comprises a polarization sensor for sensingwhether the transition waveguide module is disposed in the firstrotational position or the second rotational position.
 18. The wirelesstransmission system of claim 17, wherein the polarization sensorcomprises a spring loaded pin.
 19. The wireless transmission system ofclaim 1, wherein the wireless data comprises radio frequency andmicrowave frequency data.
 20. The wireless transmission system of claim1, wherein the second waveguide port connector of the transitionwaveguide module is configured for convert an input signal from arectangular waveform signal to a circular waveform signal.
 21. Thewireless transmission system of claim 20, wherein the transitionwaveguide module further comprises an output circular waveguide port forcommunicating the circular waveform signal to an antenna element. 22.The wireless transmission system of claim 21, wherein the transitionwaveguide module comprises a main body having a top surface and anopposed bottom surface, and wherein the bottom surface comprises asurface feature extending outwardly from the bottom surface.
 23. Thewireless transmission system of claim 22, wherein the transitionwaveguide module is rotationally movable between a first rotationalposition for disposing the antenna element in a first transmittingposition and a second rotational position for disposing the antennaelement in a second transmitting position, and wherein the top surfaceof the main body of the transition waveguide module includes indicia forvisually identifying the first rotational position and the secondrotational position.
 24. The wireless transmission system of claim 22,wherein the transition waveguide module is rotationally movable betweena first rotational position for disposing the antenna element in a firsttransmitting position and a second rotational position for disposing theantenna element in a second transmitting position, wherein the diplexermodule includes a sensor for sensing whether the transition waveguidemodule is disposed in the first rotational position or the secondrotational position, and wherein the surface feature of the transitionwaveguide module is configured to engage with the sensor when thetransition waveguide module is disposed in the first rotational positionof the second rotational position.
 25. A modular diplexer subsystem of awireless transmission system having a radio frequency module and atransition waveguide element, comprising a modular main body havingmounted therein: a storage element for storing selected parametersassociated with the diplexer subsystem, a first waveguide port connectorconfigured for coupling to the transition waveguide element, a moduleconnector assembly that is configured to couple to the radio frequencymodule, and a sensor for sensing a rotational position of the transitionwaveguide module.
 26. The modular diplexer subsystem of claim of claim25, wherein the main body is reversable so as to be selectively placedin one of a high frequency filtering position or a low frequencyfiltering position, and wherein the main body further comprises a highpassband filter unit for filtering frequencies in a first frequencyband, and a low passband filter for filtering frequencies in a secondfrequency band, wherein the first frequency band is higher than thesecond frequency band, and wherein when the main body is disposed in thehigh frequency filtering position, the high passband filter communicateswith a wireless data signal received from the radio frequency module,and wherein when the main body is disposed in the low frequencyfiltering position the low passband filter communicates with thewireless data signal.
 27. The modular diplexer subsystem of claim 25,wherein the main body is reversable so as to be selectively placed inone of a high frequency filtering position or a low frequency filteringposition, and wherein the module connector assembly comprises a firstset of sensing contacts and a second set of sensing contacts, whereinthe first set of sensing contacts is coupled to the radio frequencymodule to communicate information therebetween when the main body isdisposed in the high frequency filtering position, and wherein thesecond set of sensing contacts is coupled to the radio frequency moduleto communicate information therebetween when the main body is disposedin the low frequency filtering position.
 28. The modular diplexersubsystem of claim of claim 27, wherein each of the first set of sensingcontacts and the second set of sensing contacts comprise a plurality ofspring loaded pins.
 29. The modular diplexer subsystem of claim of claim25, wherein the storage element stores identification information of thediplexer subsystem.
 30. The modular diplexer subsystem of claim of claim25, wherein the sensor comprises a spring loaded pin.